Promoting the Social Development of Young Children: Strategies and Activities.

Smith, Charles A.

Written for students of early childhood education and child development as well as for practicing teachers, this book focuses on two basic questions concerning personal/social goals for early childhood education. These questions are (1) What skills do we want to nurture in children? and (2) How do we accomplish these objectives? The text begins with an explanation of a social/cognitive model that puts emphasis on forming ideas, using intuition, and solving problems. This approach is then applied to five general personal/social areas: body and sensory awareness, emotions, friendship and affiliation, conflict and cooperation, and kindness. Suggested classroom activities, ideas for improving relationships, and references are identified for each of these five skill clusters. In addition, suggestions for learning activities concerning "self-studies" and "child studies" are distributed throughout the text to encourage readers to relate materials to themselves as well as to the children they work with or observe. All together, more than 150 learning activities are provided, 111 of which are for children. Activities for children state purpose, indicate setting and materials, describe the activity, and provide additional suggestions for effective implementation. (RH)